MARLBOROUGH – The trait that set the Marlborough High School Class of 2014 apart, Principal Craig Hardimon said Sunday, is the compassion of its students and their drive to do good and support others.

Hardimon, speaking to the graduates in the Marlborough High School field house, said that he was impressed by the intellectual achievements of many in the graduating class, but said that the students’ contribution to the community has gone far beyond academics.

"One of the things that has impressed me most about this class … is how much of a commitment this class has to the Marlborough community and your awareness to the needs of others," Hardimon told the graduates, moments before they received their diplomas. "The things you did in the classroom do not solely define you. Your dedication to the greater good of the school is exceedingly strong."

Hardimon said that he was impressed with the students’ achievements in the sporting realm, as well as the myriad extracurricular programs in which Marlborough students excelled this year. Hardimon said that it was the year’s most challenging moment, however, that brought most clearly into focus the character of the senior class.

When sophomore Bernadette LaFollette passed away in December following a lifelong struggle with a heart defect, students at the school came together to support one another and took actions that carried on her generous nature. Hardimon said he was particularly moved by something he saw at Bernadette’s wake.

"I was brought to tears when members of the football team spoke to Bernadette’s grandparents at her wake and said that, ‘She supported us at every game. Now we’re here to support her," Hardimon said. "Bottom line, you make your school and Bernadette proud."

"Being academically smart doesn’t matter. When you meet someone, they don’t care about how smart you are - they care about how you treat another person," he said. "What’s really important is that we all treat people with the respect we feel they deserve. Always keep an open mind."

Dell Isola also urged his classmates to pause and take an inventory of the people in their lives who have gotten them to where they are now. Friends and family members play important supporting roles, he said, as do all the teachers who helped along the way.

"I’ve never met a group more willing to help students succeed," he said about Marlborough teachers. "They care more about the people you have become rather than the grade that you got in their class."

Dell Isola told his classmates to be cognizant of the lessons they have learned from their friends, families and teachers.

Page 2 of 2 - "Always remember the people around you now," he said, "the people who care about you, the people who will always be there for you and use the skills they taught you to guide yourselves though the rough times and one day you will discover who you really are."

Kendall Hatch can be reached at 508-490-7453 or khatch@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kendall_HatchMW.